Lottery ticket vending machine

The present disclosure relates to lottery ticket vending machines.

Lottery tickets such as instant lottery tickets may be printed on a strip that may be rolled or fan-folded and provided as a pack of lottery tickets. Lottery tickets in such strips may be separated along perforations formed between adjacent tickets in the strips. Lottery tickets may vary in width and length. Lottery tickets may be sold from such packs using lottery ticket vending machines.

In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller. The controller is configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, track a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, for each of the ticket drawers, track an event associated with the lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display by a lottery ticket state indicator of an indication of a lottery ticket state for that ticket drawer.

In various other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a housing; a display device supported by the housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller. The controller is configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, track a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, for each of the ticket drawers, track an event associated with the lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display, by the display device, of an indication of a lottery ticket state for that ticket drawer.

In various other embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine including: a housing; a display device supported by the housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller. The controller is configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, receive data regarding a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display, by the display device, of one of an empty lottery ticket state indication, a low lottery ticket state indication, a full lottery ticket state indication, a discontinued lottery ticket state indication, and a jammed lottery ticket state indication.

Additional features are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Detailed Description and the figures.

In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to a lottery ticket vending machine that is configured to: (1) determine the lottery ticket state for each of a plurality of ticket drawers of the lottery ticket vending machine; and (2) display one or more indications of the lottery ticket state for each of a plurality of ticket drawers of the lottery ticket vending machine.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes only one lottery ticket state indicator that is configured to display the lottery ticket states for each of the ticket drawers (simultaneously or sequentially). In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes only one lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawers.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes multiple lottery ticket state indicators that are respectively configured to display the respective lottery ticket states for each of the ticket drawers (simultaneously or sequentially) of each of the drawer columns (such as a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each drawer column). In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes one lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawer columns. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes the lottery ticket state indicators for each of the ticket drawer columns adjacent to that respective ticket drawer column.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes multiple lottery ticket state indicators that are respectively configured to display the lottery ticket states for each of the ticket drawers (such as a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer). In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes one lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes the lottery ticket state indicators for each of the ticket drawers on the respective ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes the lottery ticket state indicators for each of the ticket drawers adjacent to the respective ticket drawers.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes a lottery ticket state indicator on each of the bursters associated with the ticket drawers and/or ticket drawer columns.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes a lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawers on one or more display devices that are separate from the lottery ticket drawers and ticket drawer columns.

In various embodiments, each of the lottery ticket state indicators includes only one state indicator (such as one light) that is configured to indicate each of the multiple different states of the respective ticket drawer.

In various embodiments, each of the lottery ticket state indicators includes multiple state indicators (such as multiple lights) that are configured to respectively indicate each of the multiple different states of the respective ticket drawer.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket state indicators are viewable without opening the door of the lottery ticket vending machine.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket state indicators are viewable after opening the door of the lottery ticket vending machine.

In various embodiments, each of the ticket bursters of the lottery ticket vending machine includes a sensor configured to be aligned with each ticket drawer of a drawer column (that the ticket burster is associated with) to sense an indication provided by a ticket level determination assembly for that ticket drawer to at least partially determine or verify the lottery ticket state of that ticket drawer.

In various embodiments, the controller(s) of the lottery ticket vending machine track(s): (1) the quantity of tickets in each ticket drawer; (2) the lottery games of the lottery tickets in each ticket drawer for relevant lottery ticket events (such as a discontinuation of a lottery game); and (3) any other events (such as jams) associated with each of the ticket drawers, and controls the lottery ticket state indicators for each ticket drawer based on such information. Additionally, in various embodiments, the controller(s) is/are configured to receive and use data from the sensors (such as sensors on the bursters) that provide information regarding the lottery tickets in each of the ticket drawers to determine and/or verify the lottery ticket state for each ticket drawer.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket state of each ticket drawer is one of the following different states: (1) empty; (2) low; (3) full; (4) lottery game discontinued; and (5) jammed; and the lottery ticket state indicator associated with that ticket drawer is configured to indicate each of those different states as appropriate for that ticket drawer.

The lottery ticket state indicators make it easier and quicker for an operator to service the lottery ticket vending machine such as but not limited to easier and quicker to refill empty or low ticket drawers, fix jammed ticket drawers, and remove and replace lottery tickets for discontinued lottery games from ticket drawers. The lottery ticket state indicators also save the operator time in not having to open and check ticket drawers that are indicated to be full.

For a better understanding of the present disclosure, example instant lottery tickets are first generally described herein.

Various known instant lottery tickets are single game instant lottery tickets. An example single game instant lottery ticket can include: (1) a ticket substrate having a front surface and a back surface; (2) a predefined scratch-off area on the front surface; (3) variable lottery game indicia printed on the predefined scratch-off area; (4) a scratch-off coating (“SOC”) covering the variable lottery game indicia and the predefined scratch-off area; and (5) variable instant lottery ticket information indicia printed on the back surface. The instant lottery ticket information indicia can include text, one or more ticket numbers, one or more ticket codes (such as barcodes), and other instant lottery ticket information that is in human readable and machine readable forms. Certain of this instant lottery ticket information: (a) identifies the instant lottery ticket; (b) the set, run, and/or pack of instant lottery tickets that the instant lottery ticket is part of; and (c) other inventory control information. Various known single game instant lottery tickets include multiple predefined scratch-off areas, multiple sets of variable lottery game indicia printed on the predefined scratch-off areas, and multiple SOCs covering the variable lottery game indicia sets. Instant lottery tickets can also be of the known pull tab type. Various known instant lottery tickets are multi-game instant lottery tickets and can be larger than single game instant lottery tickets. Various known instant lottery tickets have a width that varies from 2 to 4 inches and a length that varies from 2 to 12 inches. The term lottery ticket as used herein is intended to cover these various different types and other types of lottery tickets that can be dispensed in a same or similar manner as these types of lottery tickets.

Various lottery tickets are often arranged after manufacture (which includes after complete printing) in lottery ticket packs for storage, organization, sorting, picking, shipping to lottery ticket distributors or lottery ticket retailers, and activation. An instant lottery ticket pack can include a plurality of lottery tickets that are all of the same type, same size, and for the same game. Each instant lottery ticket pack can be protected for storage and shipping by a transparent pack wrapping, such as transparent plastic wrapping, securely wrapped around the plurality of lottery tickets. A pack of instant lottery tickets can include all of the instant lottery tickets attached to each other but joined by perforations. Such lottery tickets of a pack can be detached from each other along such perforations. While the lottery tickets of each pack are often manufactured in a continuous strip that is fan-folded for convenient supply, the packs can be in other forms such as in a roll form. These packs in the fan-folded form or in the roll form are configured for dispensing via a lottery ticket vending machine.

1 10 FIGS.to 11 FIG. 100 100 100 illustrate a lottery ticket vending machineof one example embodiment of the present disclosure. The lottery ticket vending machinemay be referred to herein as the “ticket vending machine” or the “vending machine” for brevity.illustrates an example interface displayable by a display device of the lottery ticket vending machineand configured to display lottery ticket state indicators for each of the lottery ticket drawers such as described below.

100 110 200 300 300 300 110 400 400 400 110 110 200 250 400 400 400 a b c a b c a b c The illustrated example ticket vending machineincludes: (a) a machine housingincluding a front door; (b) three ticket drawer columns,, andpositioned in and supported by the machine housing; and (c) three separate and independently movable ticket bursters,, andpositioned in the machine housingand supported by burster supports (not labeled) positioned in and supported by the machine housing. Bursting of the lottery ticket is the industry term for separating a lottery ticket from a pack of lottery tickets held in a ticket drawer. In the example embodiments described herein, the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columns do not burst the lottery tickets and do not need any mechanisms for bursting the lottery tickets, but rather each of the moveable ticket bursters bursts the lottery tickets moved into that ticket burster as further explained below. The front doorincludes a ticket collection receptacleconfigured to receive separated lottery tickets from each of the ticket bursters,, and. The quantity, positions, sizes, and configurations of the ticket drawer columns, ticket drawers, and the ticket bursters can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

100 100 110 200 110 100 110 100 400 400 400 100 180 100 100 100 a b c It should be appreciated that the ticket vending machineincludes various other components that are conventional in the industry and/or that would be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, the ticket vending machinecan include: (1) various electronic components (not shown) some of which can be contained in an electronic component holder (not labeled) positioned in and supported by the machine housing; and (2) various purchaser interface components (not labeled) that are part of the front doorof the machine housing. These components are only briefly described herein for brevity. Such electronic components can be arranged in any suitable manner. The electronic component holder can be in the form of a slide-out drawer to facilitate access to the various electronic components contained therein. The electronic components can form part of the control system for the ticket vending machine. Various electronic components can also be positioned in the machine housingoutside of the electrical component holder. The electronic components can include one or more controllers that control the operation of the ticket vending machineincluding the movable ticket bursters,, andas further discussed herein to facilitate the determination of tickets in the ticket drawers and the dispensing of each requested lottery ticket from those ticket drawers. The controller(s) can be any suitable type of controller (such as a programmable logic controller) that includes any suitable processing device(s) (such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, or an application-specific integrated circuit) and any suitable memory device(s) (such as random access memory, read-only memory, or flash memory). The memory device(s) store(s) instructions executable by the processing device(s) to control operation of the ticket vending machine. The purchaser interface components include one or more display devices (such as display device), one or more input devices, and one or more payment acceptors. The purchaser interface components enable purchasers to use such components to determine the lottery tickets available from the ticket vending machine, and to select and pay for any of those lottery tickets held by the ticket vending machinethat the purchaser desires to obtain. The purchaser interface components can display images and information to inform purchasers of the different lottery tickets available from the ticket vending machineand to assist in completing the selection and purchase of such lottery tickets. These electronic components and purchaser interface components can take many different forms as well known in the industry, and are thus not described in detail herein for brevity.

110 120 130 140 150 160 200 140 160 110 300 300 300 200 110 110 200 140 110 200 130 110 200 200 110 200 200 200 110 a b c 1 FIG. 2 3 FIGS.and In this illustrated example embodiment, the machine housingincludes a top wall, spaced-apart side wallsand, a rear wall, a base, and the openable front doorpivotally connected to the side wall. The baseis configured to rest on a floor or other suitable support. The machine housingincludes suitable vertically extending supports (not labeled) configured to hold and support the respective ticket drawer columns,, and. The front dooris moveable from a closed and locked position covering the open front face of the machine housingas shown into an open position allowing access to the interior of the machine housingas shown in. The front dooris mounted by hinges (not labeled) to the side wallof the machine housing. A suitable locking mechanism (not shown) is mounted on the front doorand the side wallof the machine housingto facilitate locking of the front doorin the closed position. When the front dooris closed and locked, the interior of the machine housingis generally secured so as to be inaccessible except by an authorized person. The front doorcan include one or more areas for any components supported by the front door and/or that are contained in and/or protected by the structure of the front door. The front doorcan include one or more openings such as for a glass panel that enables people to see into the machine housingand for one or more of the purchaser interface components (such as those described below). The size and configuration of the machine housing can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

250 200 400 400 400 250 250 254 250 278 278 278 250 254 254 300 300 300 a b c a b c 2 3 FIGS.and 1 FIG. The ticket collection receptacleof the front dooris configured to receive lottery tickets from each of the movable ticket bursters,, and. The ticket collection receptacleis configured to hold each lottery ticket received from the movable ticket bursters to enable the respective purchaser to retrieve the dispensed lottery ticket from the ticket collection receptacle. The ticket collection receptacle defines an elongated horizontally extending ticket receiving slot(best seen in). The ticket collection receptacleand the front door define an elongated horizontally extending ticket retrieval slot(seen in). The ticket retrieval slotis (and needs to be) large enough so that a purchaser can insert the purchaser's hand through the ticket retrieval slotto retrieve lottery tickets that are dispensed into the ticket collection receptacle. The ticket receiving slotis (and needs to be) small enough so that a purchaser cannot insert the purchaser's hand through the ticket receiving slotand thereby cannot access any of the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columns,, or. The position, size, and configuration of the ticket collection receptacle can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

300 300 300 300 400 400 400 400 300 a b c a a b c a a Each of the ticket drawer columns,, andare identical in this example embodiment. For brevity, only ticket drawer columnis described in detail herein. Likewise, the three movable ticket bursters,, andare identical in this example embodiment. Likewise, each of the ticket drawers is identical in this example embodiment. For brevity, only ticket bursterassociated with the ticket drawer columnis described herein and only one of the ticket drawers is described herein.

300 350 100 100 100 a Ticket drawer columnincludes a series of aligned ticket drawers (not individually labeled except drawer) that are vertically stacked in the column. Each of the ticket drawers is configured to hold one or more packs of lottery tickets such as instant lottery tickets for subsequent dispensing by the ticket vending machine. The ticket drawers can vary in quantity, size, and configuration depending upon the particular size of the ticket vending machineand the quantity, size, and shapes of the lottery tickets that the ticket vending machinecan or will dispense. As further described below, each ticket drawer is configured to hold lottery tickets (such as instant lottery tickets) for selection by the purchasers. In various embodiments, the different ticket drawers can hold different lottery ticket packs for different lottery games, but it should be appreciated, that two or more ticket drawers can hold the same type of lottery tickets.

300 400 400 a a a 4 5 9 10 FIGS.,,, and In various embodiments, the lottery tickets in each of the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columnare movable into the associated ticket bursterafter the ticket bursteris moved into alignment with such ticket drawer for receipt, bursting, and dispensing of that lottery ticket (such as shown in).

360 In this example embodiment, each of the ticket drawers of each of the ticket drawer columns includes or is associated with a ticket drawer movement assembly. In this example embodiment, the ticket drawer movement assemblies are identical so only ticket drawer movement assemblyis described herein for brevity.

6 7 8 FIGS.,, and 350 351 351 352 353 353 354 353 355 353 356 353 353 355 356 353 355 356 354 355 356 353 354 355 356 352 353 354 355 356 350 351 351 356 351 356 353 351 353 c c. More specifically, as illustrated in, the example ticket drawerincludes a drawer housingconfigured to hold one or more packs of lottery tickets, and thus a quantity of lottery tickets. The housingincludes a bottom wall, a front wallconnected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a rear wallconnected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a first side wallconnected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, a second side wallconnected to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall, and a partial top wall (not labeled) connected to the front wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall. The front wallis connected to the first side walland the second side wall, and the rear wallis also connected to the first side walland the second side wall. The front wallis spaced-apart from the rear wall, and the first side wallis spaced-apart from the second side wall, such that the bottom wall, the front wall, the rear wall, the first side wall, and the second side walldefine an interior ticket pack receipt and holding area A for the ticket drawerthat is configured to hold a plurality of lottery tickets of one or more packs. The housingcan also include one or more interior structures (not labeled). The housingalso includes light beam channels for the purposes discussed below, and specifically, the second side wallof the housingdefines a first light beam channeland the front wallof the housingdefines a second light beam channel

360 350 350 400 350 360 360 360 361 361 362 363 363 400 400 350 360 350 400 a a b a a a The ticket drawer movement assemblyof the ticket draweris configured to move the leading lottery ticket in the ticket drawerat least partially into the respective burster (such as burster) when that burster is aligned with that ticket drawerso that the ticket engagers of the burster can grip and then subsequently move that lottery ticket in that burster. In various embodiments, the burster includes an actuator (not shown) configured to engager an actuation lever of the ticket drawer movement assemblyto cause the movement of the leading lottery ticket by the ticket drawer movement assembly. In this example embodiment, the ticket drawer movement assemblyincludes ticket engagersand(that in this example include rollers (not labeled) mounted on shafts (not labeled)), gearing, and an actuation lever. The actuation leveris engagable by an actuator (not shown) of the burster(after the bursteris aligned with the ticket drawer) to cause the ticket drawer movement assemblyto move a leading ticket in the ticket drawerinto the burster. It should be appreciated that the movement of the lottery tickets into the bursters can be done in multiple different ways in accordance with the present disclosure. As indicated above, one way is for the ticket drawer to have one or more drivable ticket engagers (such as rollers) that are configured to be activated to move each lottery ticket from the ticket drawer into the burster or to retract a lottery ticket from the burster back into the ticket drawer. The activation can be by way of an actuator of the burster or of the ticket drawer in different embodiments. Another one way is for the ticket drawer to have one or more drivable ticket engagers (such as rollers) that are configured to be activated to move each lottery ticket from the ticket drawer into the burster or to retract a lottery ticket from the burster back into the ticket drawer.

4 5 FIGS.and 400 480 400 400 300 400 400 250 a a a a a a a As best shown in, the movable ticket bursteris supported by one or more burster supporters (such as burster supporter). The burster supporters can be any suitable structure(s) that support(s) the ticket bursterin a manner that enables the ticket bursterto vertically move to any of the different ticket receipt positions that are associated with and in alignment with the respective ticket drawers of the ticket drawer column. Each of the burster supporters also support the ticket bursterin a manner that enables the ticket bursterto vertically move to into alignment with the ticket receptacle.

100 400 100 400 300 400 400 400 300 400 300 250 a a a a a a a a a The ticket vending machineincludes one or more actuators (not shown) that control movement of the ticket bursterunder control of the controller of the ticket vending machineand/or the controller of the ticket burster. In this example, an actuator (not labeled) is mounted at the bottom of the ticket drawer columnand coupled to the ticket bursterby suitable linkages (such as but not limited to pulleys and a drive belt (not labeled)). The actuator is configured to move the ticket bursterunder the control of the controller(s) in the vertical (e.g., up and down) directions. The movable ticket bursteris thus moveable, via this actuator and linkages on the ticket burster supporters to different vertical locations including a plurality of the locations respectively associated and aligned with each of the ticket drawers of the ticket drawer columnsuch that the ticket bursteris positioned to receive one or more of the lottery tickets stored in each respective ticket drawer of the ticket drawer columnfor obtaining and dispensing that instant lottery ticket into the ticket receptaclefor the purchaser as requested by the purchaser.

4 5 9 10 FIGS.,,, and 400 402 401 402 480 430 402 440 402 450 402 a a a a a a a a a a a As best shown in, the example movable ticket burstergenerally includes: (a) a burster housing; (b) one or more burster supporter connecters (such as burster support connectorconnecting the burster housingand the burster supporter); (c) a sensorsupported by the burster housing; (d) a ticket cutterin and supported by the burster housing; (e) a plurality of ticket engagerssupported by the burster housing; and (f) a burster controller (not shown). The size, shape, and configuration of the ticket burster can vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

402 402 422 400 300 424 400 250 422 424 400 a a a a a a a a a a. More specifically, the burster housinggenerally includes a top member (not labeled), spaced-apart side members (not labeled), a front member (not labeled), a rear member (not labeled), and a bottom member (not labeled). The burster housingalso includes a plurality of internal members (not individually labeled) that define a ticket inlet, through which the ticket bursteris configured to receive a lottery ticket from a ticket drawer of the ticket drawer column, a ticket outletthrough which the ticket bursteris configured to dispense the received instant lottery ticket into the ticket collection receptacle, and a ticket movement path (not labeled) extending from the ticket inletto the ticket outletand through which the lottery ticket is moved through the ticket burster

440 402 400 440 440 100 440 422 440 400 400 400 a a a a a a a a a a a The ticket cutteris positioned in the burster housingand configured to rotate to cut the perforations attaching each instant lottery ticket that moves along the ticket movement path in the ticket bursterto the next instant lottery ticket of the continuous strip of lottery tickets received from the respective ticket drawer. The ticket cutteris configured to make such cut along the perforations between the two connected instant lottery tickets of such strip. The ticket cutteris controlled by the burster controller and/or the controller of the ticket vending machine. In this example embodiment, the ticket cutteris inwardly positioned (i.e., positioned downstream) from the ticket inlet. After the ticket cuttercuts the instant lottery ticket requested by the purchaser from the respective ticket drawer, the ticket drawer can retract the portion of the next instant lottery ticket (of the strip of lottery tickets) from the ticket bursterbefore the ticket burstermoves from the ticket receipt position aligned with that ticket drawer. In other embodiments, the ticket burstercan be configured such that the ticket cutter is positioned closer to or on the other side of the ticket inlet (i.e., positioned upstream of the ticket inlet) such that after the ticket cutter cuts the lottery ticket along the perforations connecting that lottery ticket to the next lottery ticket in the strip, the ticket drawer may not need to withdraw the next instant lottery ticket in the strip or may only need to withdraw the next instant lottery ticket in the strip a relatively small distance. The position, size, and configuration of the ticket cutter can thus vary in accordance with the present disclosure.

400 402 a a In other embodiments, the ticket burstercan be configured such that the burster housingis rotatable about a horizontal axis to separate (via a tearing and/or twisting motion) each instant lottery ticket along the perforations connecting that instant lottery ticket to the next lottery ticket in the strip. In such embodiments, the ticket drawer may not need to withdraw the next instant lottery ticket of the strip or may only need to withdraw the next instant lottery ticket of the strip a relatively small distance. In such embodiments, the ticket burster may not need a ticket cutter.

400 250 400 a a The ticket bursteris configured to burst the perforations between the lottery ticket being dispensed and the next lottery ticket of the strip so as to enable the dispensed lottery ticket to be dispensed into the ticket receptacle. This prevents a person from being able to pull an extended number of lottery tickets from one of the ticket packs in one of the ticket drawers. It should be appreciated that the ticket burstercan be moved to a dispensing location for each instant lottery ticket dispensed, or for only certain of the lottery tickets dispensed. It should also be appreciated that the ticket burster can moved to a different location for any lottery ticket that is deemed to be bad or non-dispensable for any reason, and to deposit that ticket into a suitable rejection area.

The ticket vending machine of the present disclosure can have more than one ticket burster for each ticket drawer column such that they can operate at the same time, or such that one or more ticket bursters are back-ups in case there is an issue with one of the other ticket bursters for that ticket drawer column.

450 400 100 424 a a a The ticket engagersof the bursterin this example embodiment include multiple driven rollers (not labeled) and multiple guide rollers (not labeled). The driven rollers are rotated by suitable actuators (not shown) under the control of the burster controller and/or the controller of the ticket vending machine. The driven rollers and the guide rollers are configured to move (such as by pulling) and guide each lottery ticket along the ticket movement path and out of the ticket outlet. In alternative embodiments, the ticket engagers are configured to grip and pull each lottery ticket from the respective ticket drawer.

400 400 440 450 400 400 430 100 100 100 a a a a a a a The burster controller (not shown) of the burstercan be any suitable type of controller (such as a programmable logic controller) that includes any suitable processing device(s) (such as a microprocessor, a microcontroller-based platform, an integrated circuit, or an application-specific integrated circuit) and any suitable memory device(s) (such as random access memory, read-only memory, or flash memory). The memory device(s) stores instructions executable by the processing device(s) to control operation of the ticket burster. The burster controller can be hard wired or wirelessly connected to and in communication with the cutter, the actuators for the driven rollers, any actuators of the ticket bursterthat cause the movement of the ticket burster, and the sensor(as further described below). In such embodiments, the burster controller can be wirelessly connected to and in communication with the controller of the ticket vending machine. In other embodiments, the ticket burster does not include a controller and is completely controlled by the controller of the ticket vending machine. In such embodiments, the controller of the ticket vending machinecan be hard wired to or wirelessly connected to and in communication with the cutter, the actuators for the driven rollers, any actuators on the ticket burster or the burster supporter that cause the movement of the ticket burster, and the sensor.

380 390 In this example embodiment, each of the ticket drawers of each of the ticket drawer columns includes or is associated with: (1) a ticket level determination assembly; and (2) a lottery ticket state indicator. In this example embodiment, the ticket level determination assemblies and the lottery ticket state indicators are identical so only ticket level determination assemblyand lottery ticket state indicatorare described herein for brevity.

380 100 380 The ticket level determination assemblyis configured to at least partially enable a determination or verification by the controller of a burster and/or the controller of the vending machineof the state of the lottery tickets in the ticket drawer that the ticket level determination assemblyis associated with.

380 350 381 382 383 380 384 381 381 381 356 350 381 381 384 381 381 353 350 381 350 400 400 350 7 FIG. 8 FIG. a c a b c a a In this example embodiment, the ticket level determination assemblyincludes a light beam source (not shown) that is mounted adjacent to the ticket drawerand configured to create a light beamthat extends in the directions of the arrowsandshown in. The ticket level determination assemblyincludes a reflector(such as a mirrored member configured to redirect the light beamas shown in). In operation, the light beam source creates the light beamsthat has a first componentthat travels through the light channeland into the lottery ticket holding area A of the ticket drawer. The first componentof the light beamis deflected by the reflectorand to create the second componentof the light beamthat travels through the light channeland out of the ticket drawer. Thus, the light beamis configured to move through the lottery ticket holding area A of the ticket drawerand to the bursterwhen the bursteris aligned with the ticket drawer.

400 300 430 400 381 380 400 430 430 381 350 430 400 402 402 400 430 353 381 353 430 402 430 430 100 100 a a a a a a a a a a a a a c c a a a a 10 FIG. The movable ticket bursteris moveable to a position associated with each of the ticket drawers in the ticket drawer columnand the sensorof the bursteris configured to sense the light beamfrom the ticket level determination assemblyof each ticket drawer in the ticket drawer column to enable a determination or verification regarding the status of the lottery tickets in that ticket drawer. As mentioned above, the movable ticket bursterincludes a sensoras best shown in, and that sensoris configured to sense the light beamto enable a determination or verification of lottery tickets in the ticket drawer. More specifically, the sensorof the ticket bursteris on the inner lower side of the housingand is supported by the housingof the ticket burster. The sensoris configured to be aligned with the light beam channelsuch that it can sense the light beamextending through the light beam channel. In this example embodiment, the sensoris on one side of the housing. In other alternative embodiments that are not shown, the sensorcan be in another suitable location. The sensoris configured to communicate data (regarding the sensed light beam) to the burster controller and/or the controller of the ticket vending machine. The burster controller and/or the controller of the ticket vending machineare configured to analyze this data and determine partially determine or verify a state of the lottery tickets in the ticket drawer based on this data. In various embodiments, this data provides information relative to whether lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer.

350 381 400 350 430 400 400 100 a a a a In this example embodiment, when no lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer, the light beamis not blocked by any of the lottery tickets. Thus, when the bursteris aligned with the ticket drawer, the sensorof the burstercan sense the light beam and provide data regarding the sensed the light beam to the controllers of the bursterand/or the controller of the vending machine.

350 381 350 400 350 430 400 100 a a a In this example embodiment, when a first small quantity of lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer, the light beamis not blocked by such lottery tickets that are in the ticket drawer. Thus, when the bursteris aligned with the ticket drawer, the sensorof the burster can sense the light beam and provide data regarding the sensed the light beam to the controllers of the bursterand/or the controller of the vending machine.

350 381 350 400 430 400 100 381 a a a In this example embodiment, when a larger quantity of lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer, the light beamis blocked by such lottery tickets that are in the ticket drawer. Thus, when the bursteris aligned with the ticket drawer, the sensorof the burster does not sense the light beam and can provide data regarding the light beam not being sensed to the controllers of the bursterand/or the controller of the vending machine. It should be appreciated that if the light beamis blocked, this can indicate that one or more packs of lottery tickets are in the ticket drawer.

100 In one such example, the controller of the vending machinecan track, for each ticket drawer, the lottery tickets dispensed from a known ticket pack in that ticket drawer. If an operator attached (such as using tape) a second ticket pack to the known ticket pack in the ticket drawer, and the controller does not know this (such as because the operator did not input information regarding this second pack for the controller know about this second pack), the signals received from the sensor can inform the controller that more tickets than expected are in the ticket drawer. The controller can act appropriately including requesting more information from the operator or expecting different tickets to be in that ticket drawer. The controller can cause the respective lottery ticket state indicator to indicate this.

430 350 a In each such case, the sensorcan provide signals that represent data to the controller(s), wherein the data represents certain information for the controllers of the burster and/or the vending machine to use to enable such controller(s) to determine or verify the state of the lottery tickets in such ticket drawer.

100 100 In various embodiments, the controller(s) is/are configured to use this data to partially determine or verify the lottery ticket state for each of a plurality of ticket drawers of the lottery ticket vending machine, and to provide indications of the lottery ticket state for each of the ticket drawers of the lottery ticket vending machine.

In various embodiments, the controller(s) are configured to cause a lottery ticket state indicator associated with each ticket drawer to display an indication of the lottery ticket state for such ticket drawer.

6 6 FIGS.andA 11 FIG. 350 390 350 353 350 350 100 390 350 390 390 391 392 393 394 395 391 350 392 350 393 350 394 350 395 350 390 100 100 show an example lottery ticket state indicator for the lottery ticket drawer. For ease of explanation, the ticket state indicatorfor the ticket drawerin this example embodiment is mounted on the front wallof the ticket drawer. In other embodiments, the ticket state indicator can alternatively be mounted on a structure adjacent to the ticket drawer. In other embodiments, the ticket state indicator can alternatively or additionally be displayed by a display device of the lottery ticket vending machinesuch as explained below with respect to. In this example embodiment, the lottery ticket state indicatorin positioned on the ticket drawer. This example lottery ticket state indicatoris suitably communicatively connected to one of the controllers. This example lottery ticket state indicatorincludes a plurality of state indicators including: (1) an empty state indicator; (2) a low state indicator; (3) a full state indicator; (4) a lottery game discontinued indicator; and (5) a jammed state indicator. The empty state indicator, when illuminated, indicates that the ticket draweris empty. The low state indicator, when illuminated, indicates that the ticket draweris low or close to empty. The full state indicator, when illuminated, indicates that the ticket draweris full. The lottery game discontinued indicator, when illuminated, indicates that the lottery game that is associated with the lottery tickets in the ticket drawerhas been discontinued. The jammed state indicator, when illuminated, indicates that there is a jam in the ticket drawer. In various embodiments, the controller can cause one or more of the indicators to blink to better catch the eye of an operator or for other purposes. This lottery ticket state indicatorthus indicates to an operator of the vending machineinformation regarding the ticket state for each of the respective ticket drawers of the vending machine. This enables the operator to more quickly spot, determine, and address any issues such as jammed ticket drawers (that need to be fixed), ticket drawers that are empty or close to being empty (i.e., low) and thus need to be refilled, and ticket drawers that have lottery tickets that are discontinued (and thus have to be replaced).

390 391 392 393 394 395 In this example embodiment, this example lottery ticket state indicatorincludes five separate illuminable state indicators,,,, and(such as LED lights) that indicate information to the operator of the vending machine under the control of one of the controller(s). In alternative embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes only one lottery ticket state indicator (such as one LED light) for each ticket drawer that is configured to indicate each of the different lottery ticket states such as the example lottery ticket states described above (e.g., empty, low, full, discontinued, and jammed).

390 350 In this example embodiment, this example lottery ticket state indicatoris mounted on the lottery ticket drawer. In other example embodiments, the lottery ticket state indicators for each of the ticket drawers is mounted adjacent to the drawer such as on a support for the ticket drawer. For example, one or more lottery ticket state indicators for each ticket drawer of a column can be supported by a support (such as but not limited to a support for the ticket drawer) adjacent to that ticket drawer.

In various further alternative embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes multiple lottery ticket state indicators that are respectively configured to display the lottery ticket states for each of the ticket drawers of each of the drawer columns such as a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each drawer column. In such example, the controller(s) can cause the states of the ticket drawers in a ticket drawer column to be indicated sequentially and/or at the request of an operator.

In various further alternative embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes the lottery ticket state indicators on each of the bursters associated with the ticket drawers and/or ticket drawer columns. In such case, when a burster is aligned with a ticket drawer, the burster will cause the lottery ticket state indicators of that burster to display the lottery ticket state for that ticket drawer.

11 FIG. 180 100 1 16 In various further alternative embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes the lottery ticket state indicators for each of the ticket drawers on one or more display devices that are separate from the lottery ticket drawers and ticket drawer columns. For example,shows an interface displayed by the display deviceof the vending machine. This interface displays, for each ticket drawer of the first ticket column, an indicator of the ticket drawer (e.g., the numbersto), and an indicator of the ticket state for that ticket drawer (e.g., empty, low, full, discontinued, or jammed). In this example, the interface displays the information for one of the ticket drawer columns and can enable the operator to switch the drawer column for which the ticket state information is displayed (such as via a suitable input device). In other embodiments, the interface can display the information for each of the ticket drawers for multiple ticket drawer columns, or each of the ticket drawers for all of the ticket drawer columns.

In various embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine includes an operator interface (not shown) that enables the operator to enter information for each ticket drawer corresponding to the lottery tickets placed in that ticket drawer. This can include lottery game information, lottery ticket pack information, quantity of pack information, and/or quantity of ticket information. The controller can also receive certain information from one or more automatic loading, automatic checking, or other similar processes.

100 100 The controller of the vending machineuses this information to track the quantity of tickets that should be in each ticket drawer. The controller further tracks the quantity of tickets that should be in each ticket drawer based on the quantity of lottery tickets dispensed from that ticket drawer by the vending machine. The controller can use the information obtained from the sensors of the bursters as described above to verify such ticket count information. The controller can also use other information (such as when a lottery game is discontinued such as due to the top award being won) received from an operator or a central lottery system. The controller can then use such information to control the ticket state indicator for each lottery ticket drawer such as described above. In various embodiments, the controller(s) of the lottery ticket vending machine tracks: (1) the quantity of tickets in each ticket drawer; (2) the lottery games of the lottery tickets in each for relevant lottery ticket events (such as a discontinuation of a lottery game); and (3) any other events (such as jams) associated with each of the ticket drawers, and controls the lottery ticket state indicators for each ticket drawer based on such information. Additionally, in various embodiments, the controller(s) is configured to receive and use data from sensors that provide information regarding the lottery tickets in each of the lottery ticket drawers to determine and/or verify the lottery ticket state for each lottery ticket drawer.

100 100 100 100 100 The controller of the ticket vending machinecan be additionally configured to take one or more actions based on the determined quantity of lottery tickets in each ticket drawer. In certain instances, the controller of the ticket vending machinedoes not need to take any action. In other instances, the controller of the ticket vending machinecan take one or more of a series of different actions based on the quantities. In various different embodiments, the respective action taken can vary and can be any one or more of the following example actions: (1) cause a display of a message on a display device of the vending machineto alert an operator of the vending machineregarding the quantity of lottery tickets in a ticket drawer to enable the operator to act on such quantity; and/or (2) send a message to a remote monitoring device separate from the vending machine regarding the quantity to enable an operator to act on such issue.

It should be appreciated that each of the ticket level determination assemblies can be otherwise suitably formed to determine a more specific ticket count in each of the ticket drawers.

In one example embodiment, the lottery ticket state for a lottery ticket drawer can be determined by the controller based on the following example information: (1) the lottery ticket pack has a total minimum pack thickness of 0.20 inches (0.508 cms) and includes 15 lottery tickets; and (2) the lottery ticket pack has a total maximum pack thickness of 1.60 inches (4.064 cms) and includes 200 lottery tickets. In this example, the sensor of the burster can measure total bin pack thickness above 0.1575 inches (0.40005 cms) and thus provide such information to the controller to enable the controller to determine and/or verify the quantity of lottery tickets in a ticket drawer.

It should be appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: a housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, track a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, for each of the ticket drawers, track an event associated with the lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display by a lottery ticket state indicator of an indication of a lottery ticket state for that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a display device supported by the housing, and wherein the lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawers comprises an interface displayable by the display device. In various such embodiments, the interface is configured to display, for each ticket drawer, an empty lottery ticket state indicator, a low lottery ticket state indicator, a full lottery ticket state indicator, a discontinued lottery ticket state indicator, and a jammed lottery ticket state indicator. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine which comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer, and where for each ticket drawer, the lottery ticket state indicator for that ticket drawer is connected to that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer, and where for each ticket drawer, the lottery ticket state indicator for that ticket drawer is adjacent to that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer, and where for each ticket drawer, the lottery ticket state indicator for that ticket drawer mounted to a support adjacent to that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer, and where for each ticket drawer, the lottery ticket state indicator for that ticket drawer mounted to a support that supports that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a separate lottery ticket state indicator for each ticket drawer, and where for each ticket drawer, the lottery ticket state indicator for that ticket drawer mounted to a support that supports the ticket burster. In various such embodiments, the lottery ticket vending machine comprises a display device supported by the housing, and wherein the lottery ticket state indicator for each of the ticket drawers is displayable by the display device. In various such embodiments, wherein the event comprises a discontinuation of a draw lottery game associated with the lottery tickets in one of the ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, wherein the event comprises a jam in one of the ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, wherein the controller is configured to receive and use signals from a sensor regarding amounts of lottery tickets in the ticket drawers.

It should further be appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: a housing; a display device supported by the housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, track a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, for each of the ticket drawers, track an event associated with the lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display, by the display device, of an indication of a lottery ticket state for that ticket drawer. In various such embodiments, wherein the display, for each ticket drawer, comprises one of an empty lottery ticket state indication, a low lottery ticket state indication, a full lottery ticket state indication, a discontinued lottery ticket state indication, and a jammed lottery ticket state indication. In various such embodiments, wherein the event comprises a discontinuation of a draw lottery game associated with the lottery tickets in one of the ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, wherein the event comprises a jam in one of the ticket drawers. In various such embodiments, wherein the controller is configured to receive and use signals from a sensor regarding amounts of lottery tickets in the ticket drawers.

It should further be appreciated from the above that various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a lottery ticket vending machine comprising: a housing; a display device supported by the housing; a plurality of ticket drawers in the housing, the ticket drawers each configured to hold lottery tickets; a ticket burster in the housing, the ticket burster defining a ticket inlet and a ticket outlet, the ticket burster movable to positions respectively associated with the ticket drawers; and a controller configured to: for each of the ticket drawers, receive data regarding a quantity of lottery tickets in that ticket drawer, and for each of the ticket drawers, cause a display, by the display device, of one of an empty lottery ticket state indication, a low lottery ticket state indication, a full lottery ticket state indication, a discontinued lottery ticket state indication, and a jammed lottery ticket state indication. In various such embodiments, the controller is configured to receive and use signals from a sensor regarding amounts of lottery tickets in the ticket drawers.

Various changes and modifications to the present embodiments described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter and without diminishing its intended technical scope. It is therefore intended that such changes and modifications be covered by the appended claims.